This invention relates to a process for treating a fluid comprising an organic sulfur compound.
Wastewater or waste fluid or processing discharge is present in many industrial operations such as chemical, mining, and mineral processes as substantially aqueous streams containing various organic sulfur-containing chemicals. Examples of wastewater include, but are not limited to, wastewater generated from the hydrolysis of bis-(2-chloroethyl) sulfide (mustard agent) containing primarily 2,2xe2x80x2-thiodiethanol (thiodiglycol) and trace amounts of other organic sulfur compounds. Any such wastewater being discharged from an industrial operation to a public water system must meet local requirements.
Treatment of wastewater from industrial operations is required before the treated water is passed into a river, lake or ocean. Treatment is frequently carried out through the action of aerobic or anaerobic bacteria on the wastes. This treatment involves biological decomposition of chemicals by supplying oxygen to bacteria which feed on the combination of oxygen and nutriments in the wastewater, thereby breaking down much of the chemicals into removable solids and carbon dioxide. This biological treatment is commonly carried out by the means of the trickling filter process, oxidation ponds or the activated sludge process.
The quantity of organic chemicals and other pollutants in wastewater is commonly determined by measuring the amount of dissolved oxygen required to biologically decompose the waste organic matter in the polluted water. This measurement, BOD (biochemical oxygen demand), provides an index of the organic pollution of water.
Wastewater derived from industrial processing that contains an organic sulfur compound can be odorous thereby creating a nuisance condition to the communities nearby the industrial processing site.
While there has been much attention devoted to the general area of wastewater treatment and, more specifically treatment of municipal wastewater, such treatment methods may not be effective for industrial processing wastewater in terms of cost or providing acceptable water quality. Therefore, there is a need for an efficient, cost-effective system to clarify wastewater fluids present in industrial processing.
An advantage of the invention is that the invention process renders the wastewater more amenable to a biological oxidation treatment. Other advantages of the invention will become more apparent as the invention is more fully disclosed herein below.
The invention provides a process for treating a fluid comprising an organic sulfur compound wherein the process comprises contacting the fluid with an oxidizing agent to produce a pretreated fluid and contacting the pretreated fluid with a biologically active solid.